Hawaii Posts Increased Visitor Spending in February

Travelers who visited Hawaii last month spent 4.2 percent more than those who came to the 50th state a year earlier, according to statistics released Thursday by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. This increase, to $963.1 million, came despite slight drops in total visitor days and in total arrivals, off by 1.1 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively. Travelers from west of the Rockies increased by 6.1 percent, offsetting a decrease in travelers from the eastern half of the country, which posted a decline in arrivals of 9.9 percent. The state is encouraged by the steady increase in travelers from the western part of the U.S., as well as by year-over-year growth in visitor spending during the first two months of the year, says Marsha Wienert, state tourism liaison. She adds that the outlook is for the industry to remain strong for the year, but to grow at a more moderate pace than the record-setting rate of the last couple of years.